In 2022, The Guardian launched a dedicated democracy team in its U.S. newsroom — one of the first teams of its kind at a major news publication. The team covers voting rights, election administration and misinformation, paying particular attention to the communities affected by the erosion of democratic norms in the United States.

Members of this team — Kira Lerner, Dani Anguiano and Rachel Leingang — will join UC Berkeley Journalism lecturer Jessica Garrison in presenting a panel, workshop and pitch session at Berkeley Journalism on September 11 — the day after Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have their first debate.

Presenters will share tools and resources during a 40-minute panel, followed by an interactive workshop and pitch session. Everyone is welcome for the panel and workshop and students (undergraduate or graduate) are invited to pitch stories to The Guardian team.

Students interested in pitching stories are asked to prepare pitches ahead of time and can find more information on format and guidelines in this document.

Panelists include: 

Kira Lerner is the deputy Washington editor for the Guardian U.S., overseeing coverage of democracy and politics. She has reported for more than a decade on voting rights, politics and criminal justice issues.

Dani Anguiano is a reporter for the West Coast bureau of the Guardian U.S. and the author of Fire in Paradise: An American Tragedy. She frequently reports on wildfires and their aftermath and elections and politics in far Northern California.

 Rachel Leingang, a democracy reporter focused on misinformation for Guardian U.S. will explore what’s happening right now and what ramifications it will have on campaigns, journalists, voters, national security and democracy.

Moderator: Jessica Garrison writes about Northern California for the Los Angeles Times. She has previously covered Los Angeles City Hall, courts, education and the environment. She is a lecturer covering elections reporting at Berkeley Journalism in fall 2024.